LASK manager Thomas Sageder has suggested that he doesn’t like Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp.
Sageder will lock horns with Klopp for a second time this season on November 30th, as Liverpool attempt to qualify for the Europa League knockout stage.
The two came face-to-face back in September, with the Reds winning 4-1 out in Austria. After that game, Klopp criticised the state of the LASK pitch and in quotes from Sky Sport Austria, his comments seem to have hit a nerve with Sagedar.
“What can I say? He’s slowly becoming unsympathetic to me,” said the 40-year-old.
“Now he’s setting up a squad there and with us he’s criticizing the groundsman. We have the opportunity to show what we think of it there.”
Sageder hits out at Klopp
It seems that Sageder’s criticism of Jurgen is two-fold here. Firstly, it appears that he was disappointed in Liverpool fielding a weakened team for Thursday’s loss against Toulouse.
Secondly, obviously, Klopp’s statements about the quality of LASK’s playing surface have rubbed him up the wrong way.
Well, unfortunately for Sageder, the Liverpool manager doesn’t have to answer to him.
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The Reds can field absolutely whatever team they like in any game. Thursday’s XI may not have been the strongest available to Klopp – and there were several poor performers within that – but it did still see some big names come off the bench.
Anyway, it should have been good enough to win the game regardless.
In terms of the comments of the quality of the pitch, Jurgen’s disappointment was totally justified. It’s up to LASK to ensure their field meets the standard expected, and it fell short.
That may have been a deliberate tactic of theirs to stall Liverpool’s passing play, but the Reds manager doesn’t have to be happy with it.
Nevertheless, Liverpool can perhaps expect a LASK side with a point to prove when they visit Anfield two weeks on Thursday. Having been outfought by Toulouse earlier this week, they’ll have to be wary of that.
We can’t imagine Jurgen will lose too much sleep over this, though.